Should Heat make a play for Paul George if Thunder blow up their Big Three?

So far, putting Paul George together with Russell Westbrook and Carmelo Anthony is not working for Oklahoma City . (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

When Oklahoma City acquired Paul George and Carmelo Anthony to go along with MVP Russell Westbrook, it was rolling the dice that this ‘Big Three’ could challenge Golden State in the West.

Even after winning 6-of-8, the Thunder remain at .500 and the experiment of putting three of the top isolation players in the league in the same lineup is not working.

So now what?

If this doesn’t turnaround fast, OKC will have no choice but to start listening to offers for George and several reports say executives around the league are watching the situation closely. Trading George would be the logical choice for the Thunder considering he is just 27 years old, a four-time all-star who averaged more than 23 points a game and about six rebounds his last two seasons in Indiana and OKC will have no chance of re-signing the 6-foot-9 small forward if this season continues to go south.

Which brings us to the Miami Heat.

The Heat, like the Thunder, have hovered around .500 all season. Miami is 14-14 – as is OKC – entering tonight’s game against the Clippers. Although the record is disappointing, the Heat actually is about where they should be considering the schedule and playing 13 games without center Hassan Whiteside. Still, Pat Riley never rests and if there is a way to acquire a star and even though it would come with a risk he’s going to kick the tires.

If Sam Presti is on Line 1, Riley certainly will pick up. And as of Friday, Miami’s pool of tradeable assets got much deeper with James Johnson, Dion Waiters and Kelly Olynyk among those now eligible to be dealt.

The biggest question for anybody looking into acquiring George – and the one OKC had to consider in June when it made the deal with Indiana – is, he is set to become a free agent following this season. And it is no secret the Southern California native desires to return home and play for the Lakers.

So, could the Heat pull off a trade for George? Should they?

First, the Heat would assume George’s ‘Bird Rights’ in a trade, meaning they could exceed the salary cap to re-sign him to a contract that could be as long as five years. Another team looking to sign George would be capped at four years.

George’s starting salary as an eight-year veteran can be up to $29.7 million.

Trading for a player entering free agency is a risk, though with high reward, considering the Thunder will not get full value in return because of the threat he’ll leave at the end of the season. Then it would come down to the Heat gauging George’s interest in returning to Miami before making the deal. Or making the trade believing they could convince him to return.

George is making $19.5 million this season. He has one year remaining on the five-year contract he signed before the 2014-15 season, but with a player option, he is expected to opt out of that final year.

So what does Miami have to offer? Plenty now but what would OKC want. Would the Heat just part with Whiteside, who is making $24.8 million this season, the second of a four-year, $98.4 million deal, to get out from under that deal? Or would it be some combination of James Johnson, Tyler Johnson, Dion Waiters, Olynyk and Justise Winslow?

One thing to remember: Being located in the No. 41 media market in the country, OKC isn’t exactly a top free agent destination. In fact, the biggest free agent movement in franchise history was when it lost Kevin Durant, who signed with Golden State in 2016.

So while some teams are looking for expiring contracts, the Thunder may be looking for players under contract to play alongside Westbrook, who they locked down with a five-year, $205 million extension in September.

James Johnson, Olynyk and Waiters (although OKC isn’t likely to want Waiters back after he played there before coming to Miami) are under contract for three more seasons while Tyler Johnson has two more years left on his deal.

Then there is the flip side of the gamble when dealing for an expiring contract. If the Heat trade away, say, $25 to $30 million in salary, and George comes to Miami but walks in July, are the Heat OK considering they now would open cap space.

With the current roster, Miami’s projected payroll for next season is about $120 million. The salary cap is projected to be about $108 million. Even though Miami would not be getting the full value, opening up $10 to $20 million would give them some flexibility this summer.

Something the Heat would have to seriously consider if they decide to make a move for George.

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About the Author

Anthony Chiang began his writing career in Gainesville at the University of Florida’s student-run newspaper. At The Independent Florida Alligator, he covered the school’s golf, volleyball, baseball, and football teams. The Miami native has also written for the Sun Sentinel and MLB.com, following the Tampa Bay Rays.

Tom is a Heat beat writer for the Palm Beach Post. He has covered sports in Florida since 1981.